March 7, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Britain has launched the “Ukraine Family Scheme” for Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia to enter the UK, the British Home Office announced on Monday.

“It gives Ukrainian people the freedom and means to support themselves while they are here in the United Kingdom, […] that includes immigration security, the right to work and free access to healthcare, education and housing,” the tweet said.

According to the Home Office, 8,900 applications have been started so far under the scheme, with 300 visas issued till date.

The Home Office said it had “surged staff” and increased the number of appointments at its visa application centers in Rzeszow, Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest, Chisinau and Prague. 

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator outlined three immediate priorities in his speech to the UN Security Council Monday aimed at minimizing what he called the pain and suffering the whole world is watching unfold in Ukraine. 

Martin Griffiths said that the first priority is that parties “must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian homes and infrastructure in their military operations.” 

“This includes allowing safe passage for civilians to leave areas of active hostilities on a voluntary basis, in the direction they choose. All civilians, whether they stay or leave, must be respected and protected,” he said.

He then requested the need for “safe passage for humanitarian supplies into areas of active hostilities.” 

“Civilians in places like Mariupol, Kharkiv, Melitopol, and elsewhere desperately need aid, especially life-saving medical supplies. Many modalities are possible, but it must take place in line with the parties’ obligations under the laws of war,” Griffiths said.

Lastly, in his third point Griffiths said there needs to be a “system of constant communication with parties to the conflict and assurances to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid.” 

Griffiths said he has already conveyed the three points to Ukraine and to the Russian Federation adding that his office has sent representatives to Moscow “to work on better humanitarian civil-military coordination” allowing his team to scale up humanitarian efforts. 

“We have planned, we have mobilized and fundraised and to meet the challenge we face. We have the capacity and the know-how to meet the most urgent needs in Ukraine, if the parties cooperate,” Griffiths said. 

“But make no mistake, we are unable to meet the needs of civilians today. I hope we will not fail them tomorrow,” he said.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said “it’s clear Mr. Putin has a plan to destroy and terrorize Ukraine,” adding that the United States is “concerned that the world needs to be prepared for a very long and very difficult road ahead.”

“If the last two weeks have shown us anything, it’s that the Ukrainian people are not going to give up. And many Russian people themselves, including many Russian soldiers, do not want this war,” Thomas-Greenfield said at a UN Security Council meeting.

Thomas-Greenfield added that “Putin is clearly willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of Russian soldiers to achieve his personal ambitions.”

In her remarks, Thomas-Greenfield said the US is “outraged by increased reports of Moscow’s attacks harming Ukrainian civilians in its unprovoked and unjustified war against the Ukrainian people,” and expressed increasing concern “about the protection of civilians in this conflict, particularly women and girls who are vulnerable to gender-based violence, LGBTQI Ukrainians, as well as Ukraine’s population of older adults and people with disabilities.”

She said her Polish counterpart told her 100 refugees per minute were crossing from Ukraine into Poland.

“We also call for the protection and care for all vulnerable children, including separated and unaccompanied children and those in institutional care,” Thomas-Greenfield said, adding, “Children should never, never be involved in conflict — period.”

“Children should never be involved in conflict. They must be protected,” she repeated.

“As UNICEF has reported, we know already that dozens of children have been killed in Putin’s war. And as we work to confirm cases, we know the actual numbers are actually far greater,” she said. “Young children have also been severely traumatized by the violence and destruction. They’ve witnessed so many things to the point they have stopped speaking. The physical and psychological wounds of this war will be long lasting.”

Thomas-Greenfield described Ukrainian cities “under siege, under relentless Russian shelling.” 

“Hospitals are running out of supplies, food is dwindling, and civilian casualties are mounting, while the most vulnerable groups – those with disabilities, the elderly, children – continue to bear the brunt of suffering. We have seen besiegement before – from Leningrad to Aleppo. These are tragedies of immense proportions,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield called on Moscow to provide a “firm, clear, public, and unequivocal commitment to allow and facilitate immediate, unhindered humanitarian access for humanitarian partners in Ukraine.”

“Very specifically, we call for the Russian Federation to agree to and honor in good faith Ukrainian proposals for time-bound humanitarian safe passage in specific, agreed upon locations. We call for the establishment of a ground-level notification system that will facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian convoys and flights,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

She also called on “Russia to change course, withdraw its forces, deescalate through diplomacy” and said the US supports “Ukraine’s call for a ceasefire.”

“In the meantime, we applaud those doing everything in their power to alleviate the suffering Putin has unleashed on the Ukrainian people,” she said.

She noted the US is “closely coordinating with the Government of Ukraine, neighboring countries, and international organizations, including those within the UN system, to monitor the situation and will work with them to address humanitarian needs both in Ukraine and in the region.”

“Whatever course Russia’s invasion may take, we must do everything – and I stress everything – everything we can do to help the people of Ukraine,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

“Kyiv still stands, and we stand with Kyiv,” she concluded. “We stand with Ukrainians.”

Protesting residents of Chaplynka are the latest Ukrainians to clash with Russian military forces occupying their town, videos from Monday show.

CNN has geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the videos.  

Dozens of Russian troops are seen in the videos, set up in a line at an intersection on the eastern side of Chaplynka, more than 300 miles south of Kyiv. Chaplynka is on the southern side of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region and is located deep within Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine.

Dozens of protesters are also seen in the videos.    

Gunshots are then heard in the video, but no one appears hurt.

The crowd doesn’t budge. “Go home boys, go back home,” someone is heard yelling.    

The main advance towards Kyiv by Russian forces remains “stalled,” a senior US defense official told reporters Monday. The official did not have an update on how far away a large Russian military convoy is from Kyiv’s city center.

The convoy’s progress remained stalled on March 6 as well, an official said. Late last week, it was approximately 25 kilometers (about 16 miles) from the city center of Kyiv.

Even though the main advance has not made progress, “clearly there’s fighting in Kyiv, they continue to bombard it and hit it,” the official added. 

The “vast, vast majority of missile strikes” from Russian forces continues along “three lines,” north down towards Kyiv, “from the south up from Crimea towards Mykolaiv and towards Mariupol,” and “a northeasterly route towards Kharkiv,” the official said. 

“We’ve seen no significant activity in the west of Ukraine,” the official added.

The St. George’s Church in Ukraine’s Zavorychi ​was on fire Monday, videos show, after an alleged Russian military strike. 

In the ​Monday videos ​of the church, the green roof of the blue-walled church was on fire.   

“They have attacked our church; guys don’t go in there,” a man in the video says. “They’ve gone and hit our church.” 

“The Russian world,” another says in another video. “Here is your Russian world!” 

On their website, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church confirmed that the church was on fire, saying that parishioners reported that it had been hit by Russian military strikes. 

The rector of St. George Church archpriest Petro Kotyuk said in a statement posted on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church website that a shell hit the church’s dome and that Russian troops shot at houses.  

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US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said Monday that the alliance will not move forward with a no-fly zone in Ukraine as it stands. 

“Our goal right now is to actually stop the war. We don’t want to expand this conflict beyond Ukraine, and so right now, the signal from NATO collectively is that NATO is not prepared to move forward with a no-fly zone,” Smith told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview. 

Smith did, however, say that members of NATO were taking steps to “provide lethal support to Ukraine and assess their security needs in real time.” 

Smith also said that the alliance is taking steps to protect its members. “We will defend every inch of NATO territory. NATO is prepared to do that and is already taking steps to reinforce its eastern flank,” she said.   

The ambassador said that US officials are discussing with the Polish government the potential for Poland to send MiG-29 Soviet-era fighter jets in support of the Ukrainians. “That is a sovereign decision for Poland to take. The US has noted that it is willing to sit down and talk through some of the challenges of that. There are a lot of open-ended questions about the number of Ukrainian pilots that are available, how these jets would actually move from Poland to Ukraine. That’s all being worked right now.”   

When asked about whether the Russians have dominance in the skies, Smith said that Moscow does not have air superiority in Ukraine and that it’s “bad news for President Putin.” 

“They have not taken Kyiv as they planned to do in the first few days of this conflict. President Zelensky is still the president of Ukraine, and what we’ve seen is some of these convoys, the 40-kilometer convoy that everyone has been keeping an eye on, in essence, has gone nowhere,” she said.  

“It tells us a lot about the ability of the Russian military and the challenges, particularly the logistic challenges, that the Russians are facing.” 

“It’s quite astounding actually, their inability to provide their forces with the simple things like meals and fuel,” Smith added.   

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry says it has created a special unit — the International Legion — which has already started to carry out combat missions to counter Russian aggression.

More than 20,000 volunteers and veterans from 52 countries have expressed their desire to join, according to Brigadier General Kyrylo Budanov, commander of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry that will run this legion.

Burdanov expressed his gratitude to the fighters and said they are mostly experienced fighters who have participated in many peacekeeping campaigns around the world.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on at a press conference on March 3 in Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to make a “historic” address to the British House of Commons on Tuesday at 12 p.m. ET.

Zelensky will address members of parliament via video link – “the first time they have done so in the Chamber,” while formal parliamentary business will be suspended, according to a news release from the House of Commons on Monday. 

Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle granted that request, saying, “Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House.”  

“Thanks again to our incredible staff for working at pace to make this historic address possible,” Hoyle added in the statement. 

MPs will be able to watch the speech on screens installed overnight above either side of the Chamber, with over 500 headsets enabling members to hear a simultaneous translation in English, the House of Commons said.   

There will be no questions-and-answers session at the end of the address, it added.  

In a significant statement, four top lawmakers — the leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee — said they would craft a bill that would suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus and provide the White House with authority to increase tariffs on the two countries.

In addition, the agreement — announced by the top Republican on House Ways and Means, Kevin Brady, and the Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal, along with the top Republican on Senate Finance, Mike Crapo, and Finance Chair Ron Wyden — would do the following, according to a statement released by their offices:

Also noting that the lawmakers say in their statement: “We have agreed on a legislative path forward to ban the import of energy products from Russia and to suspend normal trade relations with both Russia and Belarus.”

Interpol headquarters is seen in Lyon, France, in 2010.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland has joined justice ministers from several allied countries to demand that Interpol immediately suspend Russia from accessing its systems, according to Justice Department spokesperson Anthony Coley.   

Coley tweeted Sunday night that Garland, alongside other justice ministers from what’s known as the Five Country Ministerial — the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, called on Interpol and its executive committee “to decide this week on the immediate suspension of Russia’s access to its systems.”

British Home Secretary Priti Patel also tweeted Sunday night, saying, “Russia’s actions are a direct threat to the safety of individuals and to international law enforcement cooperation.”

More background: Interpol, which stands for the International Criminal Police Organization, is a global agency which facilitates police across its 195 member countries to collaborate on criminal investigations. Interpol issues what are known as Red Notices to request the location and arrest of an individual pending their extradition.

If Russia is suspended from Interpol, it would bar the country from continuing to participate and therefore put in requests for Red Notices, but it would not remove Red Notices that are already in the system, said Ted Bromund, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and an expert in Interpol. 

Russia is among a handful of countries that are known as abusers of the system for going after opponents to the government, according to attorneys and experts.

“Generally, (Russia) uses it to harass opposition figures, but these could be businessmen who the regime wants to steal their money, it could be theatre directors who have a rep for producing politically touchy material… Opposition figures covers a lot of ground,” Bromund said, adding that they’ll frequently base the notice on financial crimes.

The mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv claimed Monday that Russian forces are retreating following what he says was an attempted attack on the city’s airport. 

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that the Russian military attempted “to attack the airport, and our troops fought with them and they fell back to the border… for 20-25 km.” 

Earlier Monday in a video posted to Telegram, the regional administrator for the Mykolaiv area, Vitali Kim, also claimed the Russians were retreating after they lost two tanks in a “tank battle” at the airport. 

Intense fighting has broken out in Mykolaiv and video which has been authenticated by CNN shows explosions from military strikes and large plumes of smoke around the Ukrainian city located about 250 miles south of Kyiv.

Senkevych said that the city had faced a “rocket attack… about 60 rockets fell on our city, and 61 buildings were… destroyed, and about 40 rockets fell down unexploded. So starting from the morning, we also got an attack by heavy weapons like tanks and heavy weapon machines around the city.” 

The mayor went on to claim that the Russian forces were relying heavily on cluster bombs, which are banned under the Geneva convention. “90% of the rockets sent to our city, that launched to our city, were cluster bombs,” he said. 

“They are illegal, but we have plenty of photos and evidence that they are using illegal weapons now, in the 21st century.” 

Despite the assaults, Senkevych said that Ukrainian forces are “motivated, they want to defend our motherland, our city, and they are really motivated and want to fight to the death.” He said that the city had “a good amount of people and heavy machines.”

He told Amanpour that Russian soldiers were lying when captured by Ukrainian forces. “Every time we catch them alive, they say that they didn’t know where they go, they were on training, they crossed the border, and then they found out in Mykolaiv that they were far from Russia. But it’s a lie. Because from Mykolaiv to Crimea is about 500km.” 

“They should know where they are, they are gathering near Kherson, and they spread around our city and they are trying to attack our city,” he said. 

European Union ambassadors agreed on Monday to examine bids by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to join the EU, starting the lengthy process towards accession. 

In a tweet Monday, the French Presidency of the EU said that the 27 Permanent Representatives of European Countries had, “agreed to invite the European Commission to present an opinion on each of the applications for EU membership submitted by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.”

About the process: This starts a process that could takes years to complete before the three former Soviet countries are considered candidate countries to join the EU.

Countries wishing to become part of the European Union must meet strict “accession criteria,” which involves complex social, legal and political reforms and are “essential conditions all candidate countries must satisfy to become a member state,” according to EU rules.

The EU’s “capacity to absorb new members,” is also part of the consideration for allowing new countries to join the bloc.

Meanwhile, European Council President Charles Michel said in a tweet earlier Monday that Ukraine’s membership bid will be discussed in the “coming days.”

Russian rubles are seen in this February 28 photo illustration.

The Russian Ruble has plunged even further against the US dollar, hitting record lows, as talk grows over possible sanctions against Russian energy.

The US dollar/Russian Ruble is currently trading at around 155, meaning $1 is worth 155 rubles. 

Before the conflict with Ukraine began, it would normally trade between 70 to 80 rubles to the dollar. On Monday’s lows, the Russian ruble has lost 90% of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of the year.

The ruble has plunged as the West brings in tough economic sanctions and the Russian government introduced capital controls to try and stop the flow of money out of Russia. 

Russian forces are “increasing bombardments” of major Ukrainian cities including Kharkiv, Kyiv and Chernihiv, as well as Mykolaiv and Mariupol in the south, a senior US defense official told reporters on Monday. 

“We’ve certainly have noticed increases in what we call long-range fires, bombardments, rocket attacks, artillery, as well as missile strikes, and we do assess that these strikes are hitting civilian targets, infrastructure, residential areas,” the official said.

It’s “not clear” if the Russians are hitting civilian targets deliberately or if they are the “result of imprecision,” but “clearly it’s happening,” the official said.

“It’s happening on a greater rate and a greater scale, and all the more evidence of the reckless nature with which the Russians are propagating this invasion,” the official added.

US Secretary for Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference in February.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered additional troops and US military assets to be deployed to different parts of Europe amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine to further support the US’s NATO allies, a senior US defense official told reporters on Monday. 

The Defense Department will send a total of 500 troops in this new deployment, the official said. The deployment will include sending KC-135 refueling aircraft to Greece, but the official could not say how many aircrafts would be sent or where in the US they will be coming from. 

An air support operation center will be deployed to Poland and Romania, and an ordinance company and a maintenance company will be sent to Germany, the official said.

The ordinance and maintenance companies will provide “additional logistic support to the first armored brigade combat team, third infantry division” in Germany which is already deployed there, the official said.

With these additional deployments, the US now has about 100,000 US military personnel either on rotational or permanent orders stationed in Europe right now, the official said.  

The decision to send these troops and military assets were “based on conversations that the secretary had with the chairman and with Gen. (Tod) Wolters,” the commander of US European command, “that these additional enablers would be useful for the forces that are already” in Europe, the official said.

The additional deployment “were already kind of queued up to go, and again fully in support of our efforts to help defend NATO airspace if needed,” the official added.

UN Human Rights officials say just more than 1,200 civilian casualties have been recorded in the Ukraine, with 406 people killed, noting it is difficult to identify the actual number of deaths and injuries, a UN spokesman said Monday. 

The World Health Organization says that there have been nine attacks affecting health facilities, health care workers and ambulances since Feb. 24, according to Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesperson. 

Earlier Monday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported the 406 civilians killed, but also acknowledged that the real figures are likely “considerably higher.”

More from Dujarric: Dujarric also said that in a phone call between the secretary general and the minister of defense of the Russian Federation, it was confirmed a team from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had arrived in Moscow.

The United Nations continues to call for safe unimpeded sustained access to all conflict areas.

At 3 p.m. ET Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, and the UNICEF’S Executive Director, Catherine Russell will brief the Security Council on the situation in Ukraine.

Hungary has offered foreign students whose studies were disrupted as Russia invades Ukraine an opportunity to continue their education at Hungarian universities, authorities have said.

“Hungary is offering foreign students who escaped #UkraineRussianWar (India, Nigeria, other African countries) to continue their studies at Hungarian universities,” tweeted Dr. Attila Demkó, the head of Hungary’s Centre for Geopolitics.

“All third-country refugees (mostly Africans) were accepted without problems and repatriated if they wished so,” Demkó added in his Sunday tweet.

Some Nigerian evacuees from Ukraine have said they are relieved to be back home even though they anticipate a return to the eastern European country currently repelling Russian troops.

“I’m glad I’m safe but I’m sad that my education was cut short,” said 27-year-old Oru Dominic Gabriel, who was one of many Nigerians evacuated from Romania on Friday, where they had fled to escape the war in Ukraine.

More than 400 Nigerian citizens fleeing the war in Ukraine were flown home over the weekend in chartered flights provided by the Nigerian government, according to the government agency Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).

The first batch of returnees arrived in the capital Abuja early Friday from Romania, according to NIDCOM. The second batch of evacuees arrived from Poland later Friday, while the third batch landed in Abuja close to midnight Friday from Hungary, NIDCOM said in a series of tweets.

The returnees were handed a stipend of $100 by the foreign ministry officials upon arrival in Abuja, Gabriel told CNN on Monday. He was in the final year of his medical studies at Ukraine’s Ternopil National Medical University.

He told CNN about his intention to return to the war-torn country.

“I’d go back [to Ukraine] to complete my education. I was just two months away from completing my classes. Ukraine is home to me,” Gabriel said.

Adetomiwa Adeniyi, another returnee and final year medical student at the Ternopil University, told CNN that returning to Ukraine was the hope of many returnees.

However, he is considering study opportunities elsewhere given the uncertainty of the war in Ukraine.

“I’m still looking at transfer alternatives both home and abroad. I had just four months left to complete my studies and finding somewhere with the same tuition bracket [as Ukraine] is almost impossible. Even private universities here [in Nigeria] are more expensive,” Adeniyi said. “War is always protracted, not to talk of the fallout period for rebuilding … So, it’s a whole basket of uncertainty, but at least we’re alive.”

Hundreds of international students, many of them Nigerians, remain trapped in their hostels in Sumy, in northeast Ukraine, surrounded by Russian troops and amid explosions and gunfire.

Nigeria’s foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama told CNN on Thursday that his office was aware of the plight of the stranded students, and that arrangements were being made for their evacuation.

Russia has committed “nearly 100%” of the combat power that had been staged on the border of Ukraine and in Belarus, according to a senior US defense official.

Russia has also launched more than 625 missiles against Ukraine, according the official.

The official said that while the airspace over Ukraine is still contested, the US assesses that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has “the vast majority of his fixed-wing aircraft” available, as well as surface-to-air weapons to defend Ukrainian airspace.

Left to right: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte walk back to 10 Downing Street in London after holding a joint press conference on March 7.

Coordinated energy sanctions against Moscow, including a ban on Russian oil, are still “very much on the table,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday.  

Speaking during a news conference alongside his Dutch and Canadian counterparts in London, Johnson said it was the “right thing” to move away from Russian hydrocarbons.  

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the United States is “now talking to our European allies and partners to look at a coordinated way” to ban Russian oil. 

Responding to a question as to whether Blinken was wrong in his remarks, Johnson replied, “No, I don’t think Tony Blinken was wrong.”  

Countries need to consider how to move away from Russian hydrocarbons “as fast as possible,” Johnson added.  

“We’re going to work together on making sure that we all have the substitutes and the supplies that we need,” Johnson continued.  

Russia will “try again” to discuss evacuation routes with Ukraine during talks on Monday, according to Russia’s chief negotiator for the discussions.

Speaking on his way into the third round of talks in Belarus, Vladimir Medinsky said the two sides will discuss “the same issues, political settlements, international humanitarian issues and military settlement” as last week’s talks. 

“We will try again” to discuss evacuation routes with the Ukrainian side, Medinsky said, lamenting their failure to come about last week. 

On Monday, the Russian defense ministry announced in a statement that it will open evacuation corridors from 2 a.m. ET from the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol. 

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Iryna Vereshchuk responded to the statement, demanding that Russia “accept options for our routes, as well as to establish a ceasefire, which we will agree on.”

According to state-owned television Russia 24, the talks are now underway. The first two rounds of negotiations did not yield tangible results. 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley met with the Romanian Chief of Defense Staff General Daniel Petrescu during a visit to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania on Monday, according to a readout from Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler.

Milley also met with defense leaders from Latvia and Estonia on March 6, according to separate readouts. In Latvia, Milley met with Latvia’s Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks and Commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces Lieutenant General Leonids Kalnins during a visit to the Joint Headquarters of the Latvian National Armed Forces, the readout said.

The military leaders discussed the “ongoing invasion of Ukraine” in their meetings, including “the deployed US military forces in Latvia working with NATO allies and partners to deter Russian aggression,” the readout said.

In Estonia, Milley met with Estonia’s Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Martin Herem during a visit to Ämari Air Base, a separate readout said. The two leaders also discussed the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and “NATO’s response,” the readout said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Europe cannot secure its energy supplies without imports from Russia. 

Energy was deliberately left out of previous rounds of sanctions, Scholz said in a news release Monday, adding Russia energy is of “essential importance” to the general, daily lives of its citizens. 

Meanwhile, Hungary’s finance minister Mihaly Varga said his government would not support any sanctions on Russian energy.

In a Facebook video posted Monday, he spoke of the substantial damage existing sanctions on Russia have had on its economy.

Remember: The EU relies on Russia for 40% of its gas needs and about 27% of oil imports. 

When asked about the potential for sanctions on Russia energy in a news conference Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said options that were unthinkable three weeks ago, are now “very much on the table.”

“We have to consider how we can all move away as fast as possible from dependence, reliance on Russian hydrocarbons, Russian oil and gas. Everybody is doing that. Everybody is on the same journey. Some countries will find it faster and easier than others,” he added.  

On Sunday, US Secretary State Antony Blinken told CNN that the US is working with its allies in Europe to look into the possibility of banning Russian oil imports in an effort to further punish the country. 

The fallout of an import ban on Russian oil would have limited impact in the US given Russia represents less than 2% of its overall oil imports. 

Intense fighting in Mykolaiv is continuing on Monday, as video shows new explosions from military strikes and large plumes of smoke around the Ukrainian city located about 250 miles south of Kyiv.

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the videos. 

In one of the videos, taken in the Korabelnyi district — the southern-most neighborhood in Mykolaiv — explosions from military strikes are seen over a residential area. In recent days, fire fights between the Ukrainian and Russian militaries have centered around the military base on the southeastern side of the city.

In a video posted to Telegram, the regional administrator for the Mykolaiv area, Vitali Kim, claimed the Russians were retreating after they lost two tanks in a “tank battle” at the airport. Kim also said some of the Russian forces had been evacuated from the area by helicopter. CNN has been unable to verify Kim’s claims, and he did not offer any evidence to support them.

Another video shows a dark plume of smoke rising from the northern neighborhood of Solyani.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced new sanctions on 10 individuals “complicit” in Russia’s “unjustified invasion” of Ukraine.  

The individuals include former and current senior Russian government officials, oligarchs and supporters of the Russian leadership, Trudeau said, speaking alongside his British and Dutch counterparts in London.  

The Canadian leader said he hoped the sanctions and “massive tariffs” imposed on Russian and Belarusian imports would punish “Putin where it hurts most in particular financial systems and sanctioning their central bank so far.”

The US is considering supplying critical air defense systems to NATO allies in eastern Europe as anxiety mounts that the Russians could consider launching missiles or aircraft against the alliance’s eastern flank, according to a US official familiar with current administration thinking.

“The US is considering a range of capabilities,” the official said.

There is no specific plan yet, but the idea centers around the concern that Russian missiles or aircraft might deliberately attack targets inside NATO territory at some point if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides those nations are a risk to his invasion because of their support for Ukraine. And because of close proximity of the airspace, there is also concern that air defense be available if there is inadvertent straying into NATO airspace. The establishment of a US Russia so-called deconfliction line was in part to address those worries. But there is a sense an umbrella of air defense is needed.

Because of the defensive nature of these systems, the US will emphasize that the Russians should have no concerns. The most likely systems that could be deployed by the US are likely to be the Patriot and the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system which have successfully been used in the Middle East to help shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. The US estimates that Russia has already fired some 600 missiles since the invasion began.

Boris Johnson, U.K. prime minister, speaks during a joint news conference with Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, and Mark Rutte, Netherland's prime minister, on the war in Ukraine, in London, on March 7.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an additional $230 million (175 million pounds) in aid for Ukraine.

This is the moment for “Ukraine’s friends to create a coalition of humanitarian, economic, and defensive military support to ensure that Putin fails in this catastrophic invasion,” he said Monday, while speaking during a joint news conference with his Dutch and Canadian counterparts in London.

The United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands “stand shoulder to shoulder” against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Johnson added. 

“Our new international Ukraine support group will coordinate the efforts of the international community to provide long term and unwavering assistance now and in the future, and we will be encouraging more countries to join us,” Johnson told the news conference.

In 12 days of Russian invasion into Ukraine, Johnson said it’s clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a “miscalculation” in underestimating Ukraine.

More than 406 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on February 24, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement Monday.

A further 801 civilians have been injured, OHCHR said.

OHCHR acknowledged that the real figures are likely “considerably higher.”

These figures include data collected between 4 a.m. local time on February 24, 2022, when the Russian Federation’s armed attack against Ukraine started, and midnight on March 6, 2022, the OHCHR said.

The Biden administration is weighing the possibility of easing sanctions on Venezuela so that the country can begin producing more oil and selling it on the international market, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The move would be aimed at reducing global dependence on Russian oil amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and at isolating Russia from one of its key allies in South America, the person said.

Biden administration officials, including National Security Council Director for the Western Hemisphere Juan Gonzalez and US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Roger Carstens, were dispatched to Caracas over the weekend for talks on the issue, the person said, as well as to discuss the American citizens currently detained in the country. The New York Times first reported the officials’ travel to Venezuela. 

Remember: Washington imposed sanctions on Venezuelan oil in 2019 and closed its embassy in Caracas after deeming Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s election victory in 2018 to be a sham.  

U Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the US and allies were actively exploring ways to ban Russian oil imports, thereby damaging Russia’s economy even further. The West has been reluctant so far to impose significant sanctions on Russia’s energy sector because of how it might impact the global economy, but are now getting closer to doing so as Europe works to diversify its energy sources. 

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has already criticized the discussions, tweeting over the weekend, “Rather than produce more American oil,” Biden “wants to replace the oil we buy from one murderous dictator with oil from another murderous dictator.”

But the source with knowledge of the talks said that merely increasing American oil production would not make up for the amount lost by cutting off Russia. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference at the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga, Latvia, on March 7.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that 70% of the additional $350 million in defense support to Ukraine that President Joe Biden authorized in recent weeks “is already in the hands of Ukrainians, being used very effectively against Russian aggression.”

Speaking at a news conference in Latvia, Blinken said he expected $10 billion in emergency aid to be provided by the US Congress “very quickly,” and said such aid will go to “additional security assistance,” “humanitarian assistance for Ukraine both inside Ukraine and outside,” and “to further efforts to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.”

The top US diplomat reiterated that the US believes a no-fly zone has the potential to widen the conflict.

Delegations attend the third round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Brest, Belarus, on March 7.

The third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia has started in Belarus, state media agency Russia 24 announced on air.

The location for this event has not been disclosed. The first round of talks, on February 28, and the second set, on March 3, both took place in Belarus. 

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will meet Thursday in Antalya, Turkey, according to the Russian foreign ministry. This has not yet been confirmed by the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

As Russia’s invasion continues, more companies continue to announce that they’re ceasing to do business with Russia.

On Monday, Italian fashion group Prada and Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan became the latest businesses to pull out.

Prada has suspended operations in Russia, citing Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. The Prada group also owns, Miu Miu, Car Shoe, Churches and Marchisi.

Prada’s spokesperson Marta Monaco told CNN, “the Prada Group suspended its retail operations in Russia. Our primary concern is for all colleagues and their families affected by the tragedy in Ukraine, and we will continue to support them.” The statement follows a pledge by Prada and other Italian fashion houses to donate aid to Ukraine. Companies giving support include Armani, Bottega Veneta and Dolce & Gabbana.

Responding to the donation, UNHCR’s representative for Italy, Chiara Cardoletti, said, “We estimate that 12 million people in Ukraine will need help and protection, while more than 4 million Ukrainian refugees could need protection and care in the neighboring countries in the forthcoming months.” Citing the need for immediate assistance, Caedoletti added in her news statement, “Enormous resources are needed and this is why we hope that in the coming hours other companies in the fashion sector, and in other sectors as well, will give their contribution.”

Nissan announced today it is suspended the export of vehicles to Russia. In a news statement released by the company, the Japanese manufacturer added that it “anticipates that production will stop soon at our plant in St. Petersburg.”

The statement stressed Nissan’s commitment and support to assisting with the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine by creating a 2.5 million euros fund (about $2.7 million). “1 million Euros would be donated to the Red Cross and other non-profit organizations to support ongoing emergency activities that provide lifesaving assistance and essential supplies to families and children at this time. Where it can help, the company is also prepared to donate vehicles.”

The company’s CEO, Makoto Uchida, said “We have all been moved by the suffering of so many people and families – including members of our own Nissan family. We have created the Nissan Cares fund to stand by our employees, and to support to the international efforts working around the clock to respond to this immeasurable human tragedy.”

Other car companies that are stopping their business with Russia include: General Motors, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

On Sunday, American Express became the latest credit card company to announce it is ending its operations in Russia as its invasion into Ukraine escalates.

The company said in a statement that globally issued American Express cards will no longer work in Russia, and cards issued in Russia won’t work outside the country.

American Express also said it is ending its business operations in Belarus.

One day earlier, Mastercard said it was suspending its network services in Russia, and Visa also announced it was suspending all operations there.

Social media companies are also restricting access in Russia. In the latest move, TikTok said Sunday it is suspending some features in Russia in light of the country’s new law penalizing misinformation. 

The company added in a blog post: “We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority.” 

Facebook parent company Meta said that it would block access to Russian news outlets RT and Sputnik across the European Union.

The move comes after receiving “requests from a number of governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state controlled media,” Nick Clegg, the company’s VP of global affairs, wrote in a tweet.

Meta has also said it has applied algorithmic restrictions to Russian state media that should prevent it from surfacing as prominently in users’ feeds.

Twitter has similarly announced plans to “reduce the visibility and amplification” of Russian state media content.

A whole host of more companies are pulling out of Russia. Read more here. 

Evacuees stand under a destroyed bridge as they flee the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 7.

Russian forces are “100% targeting civilians” along evacuation routes in Ukraine, said Oleksandr Markushyn, the mayor of Irpin, a suburb that lies northwest of Kyiv, which was hit by a Russian military strike on Sunday.

On Sunday, two mortar or artillery shells hit a checkpoint the suburb, killing a family with two children and several other civilians trying to flee the Russian invasion, according to the mayor.

“A group of people were being led to evacuate, and within 50 meters, I saw a mortar ordinance blew up and killed two children, tore them in two in front of my very eyes, plus their parents. They were killed in a matter of seconds,” he said Monday.

The checkpoint has been the site of intense shelling by the Russian military in recent days, Ukrainian authorities have said.

On the first day of the Irpin evacuation effort, Russian forces shelled the train and on the second day they blew up the rail track, injuring three people, Markushyn said, maintaining that Russian forces are “targeting these routes” and “trying to intimidate” the population of Irpin.

Kyiv police said Monday a further 2,000 people have been evacuated from Irpin.

The UK is no longer able to provide in-person consular assistance to British people in Ukraine, according to Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

British nationals needing consular assistance have now been instructed to call a 24-hour helpline or avail full consular services in countries neighboring Ukraine.

British nationals have also been advised to “remain vigilant” if they decide to remain in Ukraine throughout potential combat operations and to keep their departure plans under constant review.  

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Unites States Army general Mark Alexander Milley visits US troops in Pabrade, Lithuania, on March 6.

United States’ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley went last week to an undisclosed airfield near the Ukrainian border that has become a hub for shipping weapons, a senior Defense Department official said, seeing firsthand the multinational effort to get weapons into Ukraine amid Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

While at the airfield, Milley met with troops and personnel and examined the shipment activity, the official said Friday. The site has become a beehive of activity in recent days, going from a handful of flights each day to as many as 17 — the field’s maximum capacity.

The airport’s location remains a secret to protect the shipments of weapons, including anti-armor missiles, into Ukraine. The Russian military has not targeted these shipments once they enter Ukraine, the official said, but there is some concern Russia could begin targeting the deliveries as its assault advances.

The US and other NATO members have so far sent Ukraine 17,000 anti-tank missiles and 2,000 stinger anti-aircraft missiles, a senior US official told CNN.

Since even before Russia’s invasion began late last month, the skies above Europe have been filled with military cargo aircraft of the US and others, particularly C-17s, the backbone of the US airlift fleet. The flights have been repositioning troops along NATO’s eastern flank, but also moving weapons to the transfer points where they can be delivered to Ukraine. The pace of the flights has only increased.

Since Russia’s invasion began, 14 countries have sent security assistance to Ukraine, the official said, some of whom had rarely sent such substantial equipment before.

The “vast majority” of a $350 million US security assistance package has already been delivered to Ukraine, according to the official, only one week after it was officially approved by the White House.

Once in possession of the weapons, the Ukrainians have used them to slow and stall Russian assaults in different parts of Ukraine.

Read the full report here.

The human toll of the invasion of Ukraine continues to mount as Russian forces upped their bombardment of civilian areas and infrastructure over the weekend.

As conditions worsened in a number of key Ukrainian cities, the United Nations said more than 1.5 million people have fled the country so far.

Here’s the latest:

Ukraine’s request for European Union membership will be discussed in the “coming days,” European Council President Charles Michel said in a tweet Monday.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also tweeted about his call with Michel.

“Discussed the threat to nuclear facilities, shelling of civilian and critical infrastructure. We have to stop this. Raised the issue of Ukraine’s membership in the EU. The people of Ukraine deserve this. Stop Russia.”

Officials from the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) held a meeting in Moscow with representatives from the United Nations to discuss the situation in Ukraine Monday. 

“The formula of interaction for solving humanitarian problems on the territory of Ukraine, in the DPR and in the LPR was discussed,” a statement from the Russian MOD said without providing further details.

It comes after Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a phone call, the MOD said.

Guterres tweeted Sunday, “It is absolutely essential to establish a pause in the fighting in Ukraine to allow for the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy, as well as all other places caught in conflict, and to ensure life-saving humanitarian supplies can move in for those who remain.”

The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine will meet in Turkey on Thursday, according to the Turkish foreign minister.

In a televised statement, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said he will also be attending the meeting in Antalya between Sergei Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba.

“Upon President Erdogan’s initiatives and our intensive diplomatic efforts, Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine have decided to meet with my participation on the margins of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum,” Çavuşoğlu tweeted.

CNN has contacted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry for confirmation. Çavuşoğlu said both Lavrov and Kuleba confirmed their participation.

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum is an annual event, and before Russia invaded Ukraine, the list of attendees included NATO chief Jans Stoltenberg and the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, delivers a video message on March 7.

The Ukrainian government has slammed Russia’s unilateral announcement of evacuation routes for civilians trying to escape the conflict.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk described the Russian proposal as unacceptable, particularly as all but one of the corridors leads to Russia or close ally Belarus.

Meanwhile, an official with one humanitarian organization described the announcement as “cynical as well as impractical, without any preparation.” 

The Russian proposal on Monday appears not to have been worked out in consultation with any international organization, such as the United Nations or International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Russian state news agency TASS did say that these organizations had been notified – but the routes announced are unlikely to be seen as practical by many. 

The announcement also seems to have been framed as an ultimatum to the Ukrainian authorities, just as another round of talks is due to get underway.

“We demand from the Ukrainian side to strictly fulfill all the conditions for the creation of humanitarian corridors in the listed directions and to ensure an organized withdrawal of civilians and foreign citizens,” the announcement said, according to TASS.

Monday’s announcement followed two failed attempts over the weekend to open a corridor from the besieged port of Mariupol, which the ICRC tried to facilitate.

Skepticism towards the routes has grown after evacuations of civilians were paused within hours on both Saturday and Sunday, with Russian forces accused of violating an agreed ceasefire.

Speaking with BBC Radio 4’s Today, Dominik Stillhart, director of operations for the ICRC, said problems remained in confirming the details of any ceasefire agreement.

Stillhart said the challenge was to get the two parties to an agreement that is “concrete, actionable and precise.”

He added that so far there had only been agreements “in principle”, which had immediately broken down because they lacked precision, regarding routes and who can use them.

Read the full report here.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivers a statement prior to a meeting at the Berlaymont Building, headquarters of the European Commission, in Brussels, Belgium, on March 7.

The European Union is preparing further sanctions on Russia due to “the Kremlin’s recklessness towards citizens (including) women, children (and) men,” the European Commission President said Monday.

Speaking in Brussels ahead of a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Ursula von der Leyen said: “We are going to discuss, of course, the situation in Ukraine, the atrocious war led by Putin.” The two leaders will also discuss the a “new enforcement package,” she added.

She added: “The sanctions in place are really biting. We see the downward turbulences in the Russian economy.”

Von der Leyen, also said the EU has to “get rid of the dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal,” and will present proposals tomorrow on ways the bloc can diversify its energy supply away from Russia.

Zelensky demands more sanctions: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a new video statement Monday demanding a tougher package of international sanctions on Russia.

“If the invasion is continuing and Russia didn’t abandon its plans against Ukraine, it means a new sanctions package is needed. New sanctions, new sanctions steps against war and for peace.”

“In particular, the rejection of oil and petroleum products from Russia. This can be called an embargo. Or just morality – when you refuse to give money to a terrorist,” he said.

Russia is mounting resources to “encircle” the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said in a Facebook post Sunday.

“The Russian occupation forces command is shifting its focus to the South, trying to deprive Ukraine of access to the Black and Azov Seas, which, in their opinion, will create conditions for economic suppression of the Ukrainian Resistance,” the post from Danilov read.

“The enemy does not give up hopes to seize Kyiv and mounts resources to encircle Dnipro,” it continued, adding that Russia’s plan was to “encircle the major cities, exsanguinate the Ukrainian Armed Forces and create a situation of humanitarian catastrophe for civilians.”

The European Union “needs to prepare for five million” refugees from Ukraine, the EU’s high representative Josep Borrell told journalists on Monday ahead of a meeting of European foreign ministers in Montpellier, France.

“We need to be prepared to receive five million people. We know that with the Syrian crisis in the 2015-16 years, which was the migrant crisis in Europe, we were talking about 1.5 million people; now it’s going to be much more,” said Borrell.

Borrell said the EU must mobilize not just humanitarian aid, but also the bloc’s resources to support the EU countries bordering Ukraine set to receive refugees.

Some background: On Sunday, the UN refugee agency commissioner Filippo Grandi said more than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine had crossed into neighboring countries in 10 days, describing the situation as “the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.”

The Russian army hide military equipment at residential complex in Irpin, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 6.

Video geolocated by CNN on Monday shows Russian tanks taking up positions in a densely-populated area just west of Kyiv.

The 17-second clip was apparently filmed by a resident in an apartment block in the district of Irpin, a site where Russian forces fired towards the capital on Sunday and Monday, killing several civilians.

The video shows at least five Russian tanks and their crews within a few yards of tall apartment blocks.

In the besieged city of Mariupol, living conditions have badly deteriorated and civilians are unable to leave safely.

On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities said thousands of civilians remain trapped in the southeastern city and accused Russian forces of breaching an agreement to pause fire to allow safe passage out.

“The situation in Mariupol is desperate,” Mirella Hodeib, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told CNN.

“People are now in their 10th day without water, without electricity, living in shelters, shelters are packed. The essentials are missing, a lot of healthcare needs as well.

“People need to have a safe passage to leave Mariupol and any other location where hostilities are active.”

According to Hodeib, the ICRC is “willing to facilitate” such a passage and is speaking to both Ukraine and Russia in a bid to safely evacuate civilians.  

“Safe passage is mandatory under international humanitarian law and both parties would need to agree on providing safe passage to civilians leaving those areas,” she said.

The third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia is scheduled to get underway Monday at 4 p.m. Ukraine time (9 a.m. ET), Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.

Russian state news agency TASS reported Sunday that Russian negotiator Leonid Slutsky had also confirmed that the talks would take place on March 7. 

The location for this event has not been disclosed. The first round of talks, on February 28, and the second set, on March 3, both took place in Belarus. 

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will meet Thursday in Antalya, Turkey, according to the Russian foreign ministry. This has not yet been confirmed by the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint news conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielus Landsbergis in Vilnius, Lithuania, on March 7.

NATO is looking at further expanding its presence in Eastern Europe with more permanent positions being considered in the Baltic countries, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Monday.

Speaking alongside Lithuanian Foreign Minister Garbrielius Landsbergis, Blinken continued: “At the same time, we’re continuously reviewing within NATO our defense posture, including looking at questions of extending the deployment of forces, looking at questions of more permanent deployments.

“All of that is under regular review and we’re engaged with NATO allies in doing just that.”

He reiterated the US and allies’ commitment to NATO’s Article 5, which deems an attack on one country is an attack on all.

“If there is any aggression anywhere, on NATO territory on NATO countries, we the United States, all of our allies and partners will take action to defend every inch of NATO territory. It’s as clear and direct as that,” he said.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Beijing is closely watching the events in Ukraine to evaluate its strategy towards Taiwan.

“When we watch the events in Ukraine evolving … we are also watching very carefully what China may do to Taiwan,” Wu said during a news conference on Monday.

“I’m sure the Chinese leaders [are] also watching and try[ing] to come up with their own conclusions.”

Some background: Some analysts have pointed to parallels between Russia’s designs on Ukraine and fears over the future of Taiwan – a self-governing island democracy that China’s Communist Party claims as its own and has not ruled out taking by force.

Wu was speaking at a press conference about additional steps that Taiwan is taking to help Ukraine, when CNN’s Will Ripley asked if he is concerned the crisis in Ukraine makes it more or less likely for China to make a similar move.

In his response, Wu said the world has seen an “expansion of authoritarianism,” pointing to the joint declaration issued by China and Russia last month.

“President Xi Jinping has also spoken about the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, including building up militarily around China,” Wu said.

He refrained from making any predictions while Russia’s invasion is still “unfolding” but noted that democracies around the world have come together to support both Ukraine and Taiwan. “I’m sure that will be a factor for the Chinese to take into their calculus,” he added.

Read more:

Related article Analysis: Russia's attack on Ukraine reveals fault lines in Asia

Fears are mounting for civilians trapped in the besieged southern Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, as the onslaught from Russian forces continues.

One man, who escaped from Volnovakha two days ago, told CNN about the conditions in parts of the city, where he spent days hiding in a basement.

“People are there for 11 days now. Some got out, but around 450 are still there,” he told CNN, adding that he has had no communication with the people since he left, and they are still there as far as he knows.

Food and water are very limited, he warned, and the basement only gets fresh air when there is no shelling – which is rare.

“It stinks a lot all the time. Children are vomiting. There is no place to lie down so people sleep sitting,” he told CNN.

Ukrainian servicemen unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles, delivered as part of the US security assistance to Ukraine, at the Boryspil airport, Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 11.

The United States and other NATO members have so far sent Ukraine 17,000 antitank missiles and 2,000 stinger anti-aircraft missiles, a senior US official told CNN.

Even before Russia’s invasion began February 24, the skies above Europe have been filled with military cargo aircraft of the US and others, particularly C-17s, the backbone of the US airlift fleet. The flights have been repositioning troops along NATO’s eastern flank, but also moving weapons to the transfer points where they can be delivered to Ukraine. And the pace of the flights has only increased.

Once Russia’s invasion began, 14 countries have sent security assistance to Ukraine, some of whom had rarely sent such substantial equipment before, a senior Defense Department official previously told CNN

The “vast majority” of a $350 million US security assistance package has already been delivered to Ukraine, according to the official, only one week after it was officially approved by the White House.

Read more:

Related article At a secret airfield in Eastern Europe, a multinational effort to send weapons to Ukraine proceeds at high speed | CNN Politics

There has been heavy fighting early on Monday in a broad area from the north to the west of Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials and social media content.

Russian forces appear to have gone on the offensive in several areas to push towards the Ukrainian capital.

Multiple reports speak of heavy fire in all four districts on Monday as civilians continue to flee the fighting.

“We are doing everything in the capital to support the city, to create a reserve of food, medicines, essential goods. We distribute and provide aid to those who need it the most today. Humanitarian aid was also sent to Chernihiv [a city north of Kyiv],” Klitschko added.

“We are trying to deliver it to Bucha and Hostomel. We are forming humanitarian cargoes for some other cities. The capital is preparing for defense. I ask all Kyiv residents to keep calm, to stay at home, or – in case of alarm – in shelters.”

The mayor of Hostomel, Yuriy Prylypko, was killed while “handing out bread to the hungry and medicine to the sick, comforting the desperate,” according to the town’s Facebook page. Two others with him were also killed.

Arkady Rotenberg (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend judo training at Yug Sport complex on February 14, 2019 in Sochi, Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and oligarch Arkady Rotenberg have been removed from all their positions at the International Judo Federation (IJF), the sport’s governing body said in a statement on Sunday.

The decision comes after the IJF announced it had suspended Putin’s role of honorary president last month due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The IJF is one of a number of governing bodies to strip Putin of honorary sporting titles since the outbreak of the war.

World Taekwondo stripped Putin of his honorary black belt conferred in November 2013, while the International Swimming Federation (FINA) withdrew the FINA Order previously awarded to the Russian president in October 2014.

Rotenberg, meanwhile, had been a member of the IJF’s executive committee as development manager since 2013.

Russian troops continued an assault towards the strategic port city of Mykolaiv Monday morning, with officials warning residents to stay in their shelters.

Regional governor Vitali Kim, said in a Telegram message: “We are going on the offensive. The enemy entered our airport.”

The warning of an assault came hours after Mykolaiv Mayor Oleg Senkevich said the city had been hit by Russian missiles at dawn.

The mayor warned civilians not to touch unexploded ordnance. CNN saw Sunday evidence that cluster munitions had landed near civilian areas.

One person had been killed and three injured in the shelling, an official at one Mykolaiv hospital told CNN.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone on Monday to discuss the need to evacuate Indian students from Ukraine.

The call, which was the second phone call between the two leaders since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, comes amid the Indian government’s efforts to evacuate at least 700 students who are stranded in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, which is close to the border with Russia.

During the call, Modi called for an “immediate cessation of violence” and noted that “India has always stood for a peaceful resolution of issues and direct dialogue between the two parties,” according to the release.

In a tweet on Monday, Zelensky said that India was committed to “direct peaceful dialogue at the highest level.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is seen on screens during a press conference at the Media Center on March 7, in Beijing, China.

China’s top diplomat has indicated that Beijing is willing to “mediate” between Russia and Ukraine for the first time since Moscow launched an invasion against its neighbor.

“China is ready to continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace talks and work with the international community to conduct necessary mediation, when necessary,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at his annual press conference on the sidelines of the country’s legislative session.

Wang offered no further details on what such a role might entail, or the level of China’s potential involvement. Wang has previously said China supports all constructive international efforts aimed at a political settlement in Ukraine.

In a separate exchange, Wang reiterated that the friendship between Russia and China is “as firm as a rock” and represents “one of the most crucial bilateral relations in the world.”

“No matter how dangerous the international situation may be, China and Russia will maintain strategic focus and promote comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era,”  Wang continued in response to the question, adding that both nations “oppose a return to the Cold War mentality.” 

In a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, Wang urged the United States, NATO, and Europe to engage in “equal dialogue” with Russia regarding the war in Ukraine.

Some background: China has so far avoided calling Russia’s military activity in Ukraine an “invasion,” instead reiterating that the conflict stems from a “complicated history and reality” and pointing to NATO’s eastward expansion as the root cause for Moscow’s invasion – a key Russian talking point – according to statements and remarks from Chinese officials.

Read more:

Related article Analysis: Russia's attack on Ukraine reveals fault lines in Asia

An electric board shows the world's stock market prices in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on March 7.

European markets have opened sharply lower after oil prices surged to the highest level in 13 years. In the opening minutes of trade the German Dax fell more than 3% and the French CAC 40 is down nearly 3%. The UK FTSE 100 was around 0.5% lower. 

The sell-off follows big losses in Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index sank as much as 5% in morning trading. It was last down 3.4%, on track to log its worst daily drop in seven months. Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 3.6%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.5%. China’s Shanghai Composite lost 1%.

On the US market, Dow futures fell 450 points, or 1.3%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were down 1.6% and 2% respectively.

The latest turmoil came as US crude futures surged more than 7% to trade at $124.17 a barrel, the highest level since August 2008. Brent crude also rose to the highest level since 2008, up 8% to $127.66 a barrel.

Oil prices soared further after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday in an interview with CNN that the United States is working with its allies in Europe to look into the possibility of banning Russian oil imports in an effort to further punish the country.

A man walks in front of a building damaged by recent shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 6.

At least eight people have died as a result of Russian bombardments of residential areas in the northeastern city of Kharkiv over the last 24 hours, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said in a statement Monday. 

The Emergency Service said a bombing that took place around 7:15 p.m. local time Sunday (12:15 p.m. ET) “completely or partially demolished” multi-story residential buildings, administrative buildings, medical institutions, educational institutions and dorms.

There were also large-scale fires in 21 buildings in the central part of the city, the Emergency Service said. 

About 200 people were rescued and evacuated by rescuers during the fires. Authorities are still gathering information about additional possible victims. 

Attacks on residential housing in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, in this image taken from social media.

New images released by Ukrainian authorities show the extent of damage in key cities, as Russia steps up its unprovoked assault with standoffs continuing in several locations.

The southern city of Mykolaiv was hit by multiple rockets on Monday morning, said the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on Facebook. It posted images along with its statement, with one showing emergency workers and a firetruck outside still-smoking buildings.

Another image showed the inside of the ruined apartment; much of the home had been reduced to rubble, with the outer wall torn open, dust and slabs of broken concrete covering the floor.

The northeast city of Kharkiv also endured shelling and bombing on both Saturday and Sunday night, said the National Police of Ukraine in a Facebook statement. Images show the aftermath, the glow of fires lighting up the darkness at night and similar homes torn apart.

The aftermath of Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, over the weekend is seen in this image taken from social media.

Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita gave an exclusive interview to CNN on Sunday, March 6.

In an exclusive interview with CNN on Sunday, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita urged the international community to step in as Ukrainian refugees leave the country by the thousands.

“We are seeing an extraordinary humanitarian crisis,” said Gavrilita. “Already 230,000 people have crossed the Moldovan border from Ukraine, and about 120,000 have chosen to stay. 96,000 are Ukrainian citizens.”

That figure makes up 4% of Moldova’s entire population of 2.6 million, she added. “Every eighth child in Moldova is now a refugee.”

She “strongly condemned” Russia’ invasion into Ukraine, adding that the Moldovan government was doing its best to support refugees – but their capacity was limited.

She urged the European Union to set up corridors to help refugees move toward other countries, warning, “after just 10 days of war, we are at capacity. I think the flow of refugees is higher and faster than even predictions indicated.”

A blast is seen at the TV tower in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 1.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Monday that intelligence suggests that Russia is seeking to limit Ukraine’s access to independent news. 

“Russia reportedly struck a TV tower in Kharkiv yesterday, suspending broadcasting output. This follows a similar strike on a TV tower in Kyiv on 01 March 2022,” the ministry said. 

“Ukrainian internet access is also highly likely being disrupted as a result of collateral damage from Russian strikes on infrastructure. Over the past week, internet outages have been reported in Mariupol, Sumy, Kyiv and Kharkiv.”

Last week, Russia passed a law criminalizing the publication of news considered false by authorities – further censoring Russian press and limiting dissenting voices.

Police officers detain a protestor during a demonstration against the Russian military operation in Ukraine on March 6 in St Petersburg, Russia.

The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned Russia’s crackdown on media following the invasion of Ukraine, saying the violation of freedom of expression and access of information “cannot be justified under international law even in times of war.”

“These new laws are part of Russia’s ruthless effort to suppress all dissent and make sure the population does not have access to any information that contradicts the Kremlin’s narrative about the invasion of Ukraine,” said Hugh Williamson, HRW’s Europe and Central Asia director, in the statement.

Censoring the media: Russian authorities have restricted access to news publications including BBC Russia, Radio Liberty and Latvia-based Meduza, state-run RIA Novosti reported on Friday. The media outlets have been added to a list of publications “containing appeals for mass riots, extremism, and participation in illegal mass rallies,” it said.

On Friday, lawmakers approved a law criminalizing the spread of “fake” information that discredits the Russian armed forces or calls for sanctions against the country, state media agencies reported. Lawbreakers face fines of up to 1.5 million rubles ($13,877).

The crackdown has forced some outlets to shut up shop and their journalists to leave the country.

Anti-war protests: At least 4,640 people were detained in Russia on Sunday for participating in anti-war rallies across the country, according to an independent human rights monitoring group tracking detentions. 

A pedestrian walks past an electronic share price board showing the numbers on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on March 7.

Stocks are tumbling Monday as oil prices are soaring to the highest level in 13 years, raising fears about a further spike in inflation that could damage the global economy.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index sank as much as 5% in morning trading. It was last down 3.4%, on track to log its worst daily drop in seven months. Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 3.6%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.5%. China’s Shanghai Composite lost 1%.

On the US market, Dow futures fell 450 points, or 1.3%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were down 1.6% and 2% respectively.

Oil prices surge: The latest turmoil came as US crude futures surged more than 7% to trade at $124.17 a barrel, the highest level since August 2008. Brent crude also rose to the highest level since 2008, up 8% to $127.66 a barrel.

Oil prices soared further after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday in an interview with CNN that the United States is working with its allies in Europe to look into the possibility of banning Russian oil imports in an effort to further punish the country.

“Elevated oil prices may pose a threat to firms’ margins and consumer spending outlook, at a time where the Fed will face greater pressure of having to overcorrect with quicker and larger rate hikes in light of inflationary pressures,” he added.

People board an evacuation train from Kyiv to Lviv, at Kyiv central train station, on March 6.

The Russian Defense Ministry claims it will stop firing at 10 a.m. local time Monday (2 a.m ET) to allow civilians to flee their homes in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol, despite repeatedly breaching previous agreements.

In a statement Monday, the ministry said the decision comes “at the personal request” of French President Emmanuel Macron, and that the relevant details had been communicated to international bodies including the United Nations.

Civilians killed during evacuation: On Sunday, a Russian military strike hit an evacuation crossing point in a Kyiv suburb, killing a family with two children and several other civilians fleeing their homes, according to the city’s mayor.

Two mortar or artillery shells hit the checkpoint in the suburb of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said. International media filming at the checkpoint reported that a shell landed as a stream of civilians was coming through.

Another attempt at ceasefire: A first effort of ceasing fire and opening evacuation routes in Mariupol and Volnovakha failed on Saturday, with Ukrainian authorities putting evacuations on hold citing repeated Russian violations of the ceasefire.

Russia claimed its forces had resumed their offensive in Mariupol and Volnovakha due to “unwillingness of the Ukrainian side.”

A second attempt was dashed within hours Sunday, with Ukrainian authorities saying Russian forces were regrouping their forces and resuming heavy shelling of Mariupol.

Monday marks the third attempt.

Young children are among the 1.5 million people who have fled Ukraine since the war began – and some are forced to make the journey alone.

One video shows a young boy past the border in Poland, walking ahead of a group of adults. Apparently alone, he sobs as he walks, wrapped in a coat and carrying only a plastic bag of belongings. He looks impossibly small on the sidewalk, standing separate from other evacuating families.

The majority of refugees have fled into Poland, with others crossing into Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Romania.

Watch the moment:

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Millions of lives could be destroyed to slake Vladimir Putin’s Cold War obsession.

Less than three weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world is looking on in horror at the human tragedy, appalling destruction and worldwide reverberations sparked by one man’s orders.

Ukraine’s fate starkly underlines that even 20 years into the 21st century, and despite the world’s vows to learn from history, a lone autocrat who has ruthlessly fashioned a political system to eliminate dissent and reality itself has the power to cause unfathomable human loss and misery.

Putin’s apparent willingness to bombard Ukraine into submission and clearly gratuitous targeting of the innocent civilians he insisted are Russian kin mean the humanitarian disaster is likely only just beginning.

More than 1.5 million refugees have already fled the country, according to the United Nations. Millions more will likely follow – as family lives, jobs and communities are shattered. That’s without the thousands of civilians sure to die in a prolonged Russian blitzkrieg.

If harrowing video of Ukraine was in black and white, it would be easy to mistake it for historic newsreel of World War II, the last time such scenes of devastation and cruelty were inflicted by one sovereign nation on another in Europe.

And it all flows from the mind of a Russian President apparently motivated by his own historic scars as a KGB officer in East Germany when the Berlin Wall fell. Putin, seeking to redraw the post-Cold War map of Europe, has now engineered the counterpoint to those joyous scenes three decades later in his relentless bombardments designed to revive Russia as a super power.

Read the full analysis:

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the head of Russia's Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, a big business lobby group, at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 2, 2022. (Photo by Mikhail Klimentyev / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Analysis: Putin is wreaking carnage in Ukraine and no one can stop him

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gestures during the post-Cabinet press conference in Wellington on Monday.

New Zealand’s government is working to pass a bill that will allow the country to further sanction Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in a news conference Monday.

What’s in the bill: The bill will allow the government to target individuals, companies, services, and assets of those associated with the invasion, including those of oligarchs, Ardern said.

It will also prevent those who are sanctioned from moving assets into New Zealand, including superyachts, ships and aircrafts, and will prevent them from entering New Zealand waters or airspace, Ardern said.

She added that these measures may be extended to other states “complicit with Russia’s illegal actions,” such as Belarus.

Ardern said the bill will be introduced into Parliament on Wednesday, with hopes of it passing by the end of the day. 

The bill only applies to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and will allow new sanctions to be applied as approved by the Foreign Minister, it added. 

Travel ban: On Monday, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade also published a travel ban list of over 100 individuals associated with Russia’s invasion, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The measure was previously announced on February 24, and is expected to further expand in coming weeks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “believes he is like the czars,” the imperial dynasty that ruled Russia for centuries, said a US expert who worked in the former Obama administration.

“Putin has certainly used the Russian Orthodox Church in order to serve his goals,” said Anna Makanju, former director for Russia at the US National Security Council, on Sunday.

Some history: The Russian Orthodox Church had historically served as a pillar of legitimacy and support for the Romanov czars. When communist radicals swept to power during the Bolshevik revolution, they targeted the Russian Orthodox Church and tore down churches that had been place of worship for the czars.

But in the nearly 26 years since the Soviet Union’s collapse, the role of the Church has transformed, and is now actively promoted by the Kremlin as a defining characteristic of Russian identity.

President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent of the atheist Soviet Union, now embraces his Orthodox Christianity. The Russian leader is often shown on national television broadcasts attending church services and paying respect to the church leadership.

Putin’s push: As Putin steps up his assault on Ukraine, some international observers have commented that he may “trying to rebuild the USSR,” said Makanju, referring to the Soviet Union which lasted from 1922 to 1991.

“I think that’s not quite right – he’s trying to take it back to 1889,” she said.

As the war drags into its third week, the destruction and death toll is mounting. If you’re just reading in now, here are the latest Russia-Ukraine developments:

Evacuating residents killed: A Russian military strike hit an evacuation crossing point in a Kyiv suburb Sunday, killing a family with two children and several other civilians trying to flee the Russian invasion, according to the city’s mayor.

Two mortar or artillery shells hit the checkpoint in the suburb of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said, which has been the site of intense shelling by the Russian military in recent days.

Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said eight civilians have been killed across the district, and international media filming at the checkpoint reported that a shell landed as a stream of civilians was coming through.

A fiery Zelensky: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of planning “deliberate murder” in the shelling of Ukrainian territory. Speaking in a Facebook video on Sunday, Zelensky added that “God will not forgive” on “Forgiveness Sunday.” 

Zelensky said he has not heard from any allies on Sunday.

“And I have not heard a reaction from any world leader today,” he said. “From no Western politician. There are no reactions to this announcement. Think about the sense of impunity of the occupiers: they announce the atrocities that are planned. Why?”

Nuclear fears: French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine, according to a Kremlin readout of the call.

Macron also spoke with Zelensky afterward, reiterating “the absolute necessity to avoid any attack on the integrity of Ukrainian civil nuclear facilities.”  

Russia steps up its assault: Russia has fired a total of 600 missiles since the invasion of Ukraine began, a senior US defense official said, and Russia has committed approximately 95% of its amassed combat power inside Ukraine. 

The US has observed ongoing fighting in Kherson and Mykolaiv on Monday, the official said, and Russian forces are still trying to encircle Kyiv, Khakhiv and Chernihiv, as well as Mariupol.  

Anti-war protests: At least 4,640 people were detained in Russia on Sunday for participating in anti-war rallies across the country, according to an independent human rights monitoring group tracking detentions. 

Protesters in St. Petersburg, Russia were violently beaten by police, videos posted to social media show. CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the videos, which were taken on Sunday evening.

Businesses withdraw: Netflix said Sunday that it will stop selling and providing its streaming video service in Russia for the time being. Major Hollywood studios have also postponed new movie releases in the country. Earlier Sunday, TikTok and American Express also suspended service inside Russia.  

Russia has fired a total of 600 missiles since its invasion of Ukraine began, a senior US defense official said Sunday, and it has committed approximately 95% of its amassed combat power inside Ukraine.

The US observed ongoing fighting in Kherson and Mykolaiv on Sunday and Russian forces are still trying to encircle Kyiv, Khakhiv, Chernihiv, and Mariupol, according to the official.

But the advances have been met with strong Ukrainian resistance, slowing the Russian assault. 

Meanwhile, the massive Russian convoy north of Kyiv that spans some 40 miles of road remains stalled, but there is no update on how far it is from Kyiv. Late last week, it was approximately 16 miles (25 kilometers) from Kyiv’s city center.

The skies above Kyiv remain contested, and both Ukrainians and Russians retain a significant majority of their air combat power.

The official also said the US has not observed an amphibious assault near Odessa and they do not assess one is imminent.

The official could not confirm reports of Russians firing on protestors in Kyiv or violations of the ceasefire agreement to allow for humanitarian corridors. The official also could not corroborate reports the Russians are calling up reserves.

Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Sunday called for the transfer of fighter jets to Poland after a plea from Ukrainian President Zelensky for Western countries to send fighter aircraft into his country.

“I strongly urged the Secretary of State yesterday to complete this transaction. You know, the Ukrainians can fly Russian MiGs. But then Poland wants a back order, and that may be possibly F-16s,” McCaul, who is in Poland, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

A White House spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Saturday that the US is working with Poland on the possibility of Poland providing fighter jets to Ukraine along with consulting with other allies.

More on this: Following a Zoom call with Ukrainian leader President Volodymyr Zelensky, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer called on the Biden administration to facilitate the transfer of “desperately-needed” aircraft to Ukraine. 

At a Sunday press briefing, Schumer stressed that Zelensky is in short supply of aircraft and that several Eastern European countries have Soviet-made jets which the Ukrainian Air Force pilots know how to operate. 

“Today I’m announcing the push for the U.S. administration to explore all feasible options to transfer these desperately needed aircraft to Ukraine,” Schumer said. “We are asking our administration to do everything they can to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern Europe to Ukraine.” 

American Express is the latest credit card company to announce it is ending its operations in Russia as its invasion into Ukraine escalates.

On Sunday, the company said in a statement that globally issued American Express cards will no longer work in Russia, and cards issued in Russia won’t work outside the country.

American Express also said it is ending its business operations in Belarus.

Mastercard said Saturday it was suspending its network services in Russia, and Visa also announced Saturday it was suspending all operations there.

TikTok said Sunday it is suspending some features in Russia in light of the country’s new law penalizing misinformation. 

The company added in a blog post: “We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority.”

Eight civilians were killed in the midst of an evacuation in Irpin — a district west of Kyiv that saw intense shelling on Sunday — the mayor of Irpin, Oleksandr Markushyn, said in a statement on Telegram Sunday. 

Markushyn said Russians opened fire during an evacuation across a bridge. 

Video from the scene showed civilians moving through the checkpoint before an explosion occurred at a crossroads that appeared to be caused by a shell or mortar. 

“Irpin is at war, Irpin has not surrendered,” Markushyn said. “Part of Irpin was indeed captured by Russian invaders, but part of Irpin is fighting and not surrendering.” 

Markushyn said another evacuation would begin tomorrow morning. 

Anti-war protesters in St. Petersburg, Russia were violently beaten by police Sunday, videos posted to social media show. 

CNN has geolocated and verified the authenticity of the videos, which were taken on Sunday evening.

In the clips, protesters are seen walking along Nevsky Avenue in central St. Petersburg. Outside of the Kazan Cathedral, a violent interaction between protesters and police was captured on two of the videos. 

One of the videos posted to social media shows a police officer attempting to detain an individual in the street. When one protester walks up to try to engage in the situation, another police officer appears and shoves that person on the ground.  

Another video, published by Russian news outlet SOTA Vision, shows police attempting to detain a woman on the ground.

In both videos, more protesters walk up and engage the police. Screaming is heard, and the video published by SOTA Vision shows police punching the man shoved on the ground. 

In the video posted to social media, it later shows police successfully detaining the woman on the ground while also holding back protesters. Then, a police wagon shows up. 

CNN has contacted St. Petersburg police to ask about the nature of the arrest and did not receive an immediate response. 

Thousands detained: On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs told Russian state news outlet TASS that around 1,500 people “took part in an uncoordinated rally” in St. Petersburg Sunday, and around 750 were detained. 

At least 4,640 people were detained in Russia on Sunday in connection with anti-war rallies across the country, according to OVD-Info, an independent human rights monitoring group tracking detentions. More than 13,000 people have been arrested in Russia over anti-war demonstrations since the invasion, the group calculated.

At least 4,640 people were detained during protests in Russia on Sunday, OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group that tracks detentions in Russia, reports.

People have been detained in 147 cities, according to OVD-Info. Since the invasion, more than 13,000 people have been arrested in Russia in anti-war demonstrations, OVD-Info calculates.

CNN cannot independently verify these numbers.

Russian state news agency TASS cited the Russian Interior Ministry, which said it arrested 3,500 people “who took part in unauthorized public events” on Sunday. 

Some of the cities where arrests were made included Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The detainees were “taken to the territorial police departments for investigation,” Volk said, adding “the issue of bringing them to justice is being decided.”